Form for curved shirt collars

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for setting a curve in a shirt collar is provided. The apparatus includes a form comprising an under collar portion and an over collar portion. The under collar portion has a curved surface configured to contact an underside of the shirt collar. The over collar portion has a curved surface configured to contact an opposite side of the shirt collar. The under collar portion and the over collar portion are urged together to clamp at least a portion of the shirt collar therebetween.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/621,072, filed Apr. 6, 2012,the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

A polo shirt is an extremely common type of shirt that is also known asa golf or tennis shirt. These shirts are essentially T-shaped with acollar; have two or three buttons, and sometimes a pocket. Polo shirtscan be made of knitted cloth, cotton, silk, wool or synthetic fibers.Polo shirts are very popular both for their comfort as well as for theirfashion.

One particular aspect of a polo shirt is its collar. For some, it isimportant for the collar of the polo shirt to be curved. However, it isdifficult to maintain such curved collars. Typically, when the shirt iswashed, worn, or even stored, it is possible for the collar to becomefolded, creased, or other deformed from the desired curved form.Moreover, restoring the curvature to the collar of the polo shirt isdifficult in that known irons and presses have flat surfaces that arenot particularly suited for imparting the desired curved shape to thecollar of the polo shirt.

While some attempts have been made to facilitate the maintenance ofcollars of other types of shirts, such attempts have generally employedflat surfaces akin to irons or presses that are only suited for flatsurfaces. For example, United States Published Patent Application2012/0324769 A1 provides a fabric press that can be engaged upon theflat collar of a button down shirt to remove wrinkles and provide aplanar collar. However, the press of that application is not suitablefor polo shirts where a complex curved collar shape is desired.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method and apparatus that canquickly, easily, and without much expense impart a desired curved shapeto a collar of a shirt, such as a polo shirt.

SUMMARY

A method and apparatus for setting a curve in a shirt collar isprovided. The apparatus includes a form comprising an under collarportion and an over collar portion. The under collar portion has acurved surface configured to contact an underside of the shirt collar.The over collar portion has a curved surface configured to contact anopposite side of the shirt collar. The under collar portion and the overcollar portion are urged together to clamp at least a portion of theshirt collar therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a curved collar form engaged upon acollar of a polo shirt in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of a curved collar form in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective exploded view of a curved collarform in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic flow diagram of a method of imparting acurvature upon a collar of a polo shirt in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a curved collar form engaged upon acollar of a polo shirt in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, form 10 is engaged upon a portionof the collar of shirt 12. Form 10 generally includes a rear portion 14that is configured to be grasped by a user thereof in order to open andclose form 10 on the collar. Portion 14 is illustrated as generallycurved but may take any suitable form. Further, if additional mechanicaladvantage for a user is required, embodiments of the present inventioncan include portion 14 extending beyond a pivot point (shown in FIG. 2)in order to allow users to more easily open form 10 against thespring-load bias.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of curved collar form 10 in accordancewith the embodiment of the present invention. Curved collar form 10includes under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18. Each ofunder collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 preferably includescooperative curved portions 20 with the same, or substantially the same,curvature such that a portion of a shirt collar disposed therebetweenwill receive the desired curvature. Each of under collar portion 16 andover collar portion 18 is preferably formed as a separate piece and isconfigured to contact respective opposite sides of a shirt collar.Preferably, under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 areformed of an injection moldable plastic through a suitable injectionmolding processes. However, embodiments of the present invention can bepracticed with any suitable manufacturing techniques using any suitablematerials.

Under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 are joined togetherand pivot about one another at pivot point 22. A compression spring 24,or other suitable bias member, biases gripping portions 26 and 28 apartfrom one another in order to close portions 20 of over collar portion 18and under collar portion 16 together. Accordingly, as a user graspsportions 26 and 28 and urges portions 26 and 28 together, portions 20 ofunder and over collar portions 16, 18, respectively, are moved apartthereby allowing the collar to be inserted. Thereafter, the userreleases portions 26 and 28 and bias member 24, in cooperation withpivot 22, closes portions 20 on the collar. Allowing the collar toremain clamped between portions 20 of over collar portion 18 and undercollar portion 16 for a suitable amount of time will impart the desiredcollar form onto the polo shirt collar.

For some polo shirts, the extreme edge of the collar can sometimesdevelop an undesirable curl. While the gradual curve imparted by curvedportions 20 is desirable, having a curl in the edge of the collar isnot. Accordingly, some embodiments of the present invention transitionfrom curved portions 20 to flattened surfaces 23 in order to ensure thatthe very edge of the collar does not curl.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic exploded view of curved collar form 10 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 showsunder collar portion 16 separated from over collar portion 18 with biasmember 24 positioned therebetween. Under collar portion 16 includescurved surface 20 having a curve that is configured to impart thedesired collar curvature. Additionally, under collar portion 16 alsoincludes a slight curve 30 along its length, which curve is roughlyshaped to conform to the curvature of the collar along the polo shirt.Thus, under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 include twodistinct curves on their clamping surfaces.

Under collar portion 16 preferably includes a plurality of apertures 32which extend therethrough in order to allow air to pass through undercollar portion 16 to facilitate drying of the shirt collar. Preferably,apertures 32 are holes that extend through under collar portion 16. Morepreferably, holes 32 are arranged regularly along flat surface 23 ofunder collar portion 16. While holes are illustrated in FIG. 3 in theform of apertures 32, it is expressly contemplated that the aperturescan take other shapes, such as ovals, rectangles, et cetera. Further, itis expressly contemplated that some of the apertures 32 can differ fromother apertures. In this way, some apertures may be slots while otherapertures are round or rectangular holes. While FIG. 3 depict apertures32 in under collar portion 16, it is expressly contemplated that suchapertures 32 could alternately or additionally be present in over collarportion 18.

Under collar portion 16 includes a collar forming curve 20 as well as ashirt conforming curve 30, which curves 20, 30 are sized and shaped tocooperate with corresponding curves of over collar portion 18. Thus,these two components fit closely together in order to generate thedesired shape on the collar of the polo shirt.

In order to facilitate low cost manufacture, it is preferred that eachof under collar portion 16 and over collar portion 18 include featuresthat facilitate a snap-together assembly. Thus, bias member 24 can besimply placed over post 36 of under collar portion 16 and then overcollar portion 18 can be lowered until cooperative features snap intoplace relative to corresponding features of under collar portion 16.Once snapped together, portions 16 and 18 pivot about pivot point 22(shown in FIG. 2) based upon the grasp of a user, or bias member 24.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic flow diagram of a method of imparting acurvature upon a collar of a polo shirt in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. Method 40 begins at optional block 42 wherethe collar of a polo shirt is sprayed, such as with water or a liquidspray starch. Next, at block 44, a first curved collar form is appliedto a first portion of the collar of the shirt. For example, the firstcurved collar form can be applied to the left side of the shirt. Next,at block 46, a second curved collar form is attached to the oppositeside collar, such as the right side. Next, at block 47, the methodrequires waiting until a suitable amount of time has passed for thecollar of the polo shirt to receive the desired curve. This waitingperiod can be related to the period for the sprayed water or starch todry; or the entire period during which the polo shirt is stored beforeit is worn; or any suitable amount of time as may be determined by theuser. Finally, at block 48, the forms are removed from the polo shirt,and the desired curve is set in the collar of the shirt.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A form for setting a curve in a shirt collar, theform comprising: an under collar portion having a curved surfaceconfigured to contact an underside of the shirt collar; an over collarportion having a curved surface configured to contact an opposite sideof the shirt collar; and wherein the under collar portion and the overcollar portion are urged together to clamp at least a portion of theshirt collar therebetween.
 2. The form of claim 1, wherein the curvedsurface of the under collar portion has a curvature substantially thesame as the curved surface of the over collar portion.
 3. The form ofclaim 2, wherein the curved surface of the under collar portion has afirst curve that is imparted to the shirt collar.
 4. The form of claim3, wherein the curved surface of the under collar portion has a secondcurve along its length.
 5. The form of claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe under collar portion and the over collar portion are constructedfrom plastic.
 6. The form of claim 5, wherein both of the under collarportion and the over collar portion are constructed from plastic.
 7. Theform of claim 6, wherein the plastic is injection moldable plastic. 8.The form of claim 1, wherein the under collar portion includes aplurality of apertures therethrough to allow air to contact the shirtcollar while the shirt collar is positioned between the under collarportion and the over collar portion.
 9. The form of claim 1, wherein theunder collar portion and the over collar portion are urged together by acompression spring.
 10. The form of claim 1, wherein the under collarportion and the over collar portion snap together and are pivotablerelative to one another.
 11. The form of claim 1, wherein each of theunder collar portion and the over collar portion include opposing flatsurfaces configured to reduce collar edge curl.
 12. A method forimparting a curve to a collar of a shirt, the method comprising:providing a curved collar form; clamping the curved collar form on atleast a portion of the collar of the shirt; waiting a specified amountof time; and opening the curved collar form to release the collar. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein the method is performed on two portionsof the collar.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the two portionsinclude a left side and a right side of the collar.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, and further comprising applying a spray liquid to the collarbefore clamping the curved collar form on the portion of the collar. 16.The method of claim 15, and further comprising allowing air to contactthe portion of the collar while the portion of the collar is clampedwithin the curved collar form.